Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti vs. AMD RX 9070 XT: Battle of the Titans

While the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 dominates the high-end graphics card market with a hefty price tag of $1,999+, not everyone can afford to splash out on the top-tier model. Fortunately, you don't need to break the bank to enjoy stunning 4K gaming. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT offer compelling alternatives at more affordable prices, providing an excellent 4K gaming experience without the premium cost.

Despite current market conditions driving up prices due to high demand and limited supply post-launch, the RTX 5070 Ti and RX 9070 XT stand out as the best options for gamers seeking high-end performance without the exorbitant expense.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT – Photos

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RTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Specs

Comparing graphics cards from different architectures can be tricky, especially when looking at specs. Nvidia's CUDA cores and AMD's Shading Units, while functionally similar, differ significantly enough to make direct comparisons challenging.

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT features 64 RDNA 4 compute units, each equipped with 64 shader units, totaling 4,096. Each compute unit also includes two AI Accelerators and one RT Accelerator, resulting in 128 and 64, respectively. It comes with 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, sufficient for today's games but might be pushed to its limits in future 4K titles.

In contrast, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti also boasts 16GB of VRAM, but with the newer GDDR7 memory, which offers higher bandwidth due to increased memory speeds. It features 70 Streaming Multiprocessors, each containing 8,960 CUDA Cores. Nvidia's design allows for twice as many Shader Units per Compute Unit, a trend started with the RTX 3080 in 2020, though this doesn't necessarily translate to double the performance.

Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT & 9070 – Benchmarks

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RTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Performance

Although the RTX 5070 Ti appears superior on paper, real-world performance tells a different story. Both cards excel as entry-level options for 4K gaming and are top performers at 1440p.

During my review of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, I anticipated it would closely trail the RTX 5070 Ti, especially in ray-traced games. Surprisingly, even in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, the RX 9070 XT stayed within a few frames of the more expensive RTX 5070 Ti.

There are instances where the RTX 5070 Ti outperforms, such as in Total War: Warhammer 3, where it achieves 87fps at 4K compared to the RX 9070 XT's 76fps. However, on average, the RX 9070 XT was 2% faster, a notable achievement considering its lower price, which is approximately 21% less than the RTX 5070 Ti.

Winner: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti – Photos

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RTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Software and Features

Choosing a graphics card today involves considering more than just hardware capabilities. Both Nvidia and AMD enhance their GPUs with robust software suites that extend their functionality.

The Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti's key advantage lies in its DLSS technology, encompassing AI upscaling and Frame Generation. With the RTX 5000 series, Nvidia introduced multi-frame generation, capable of creating three AI-generated frames for each rendered frame, significantly boosting frame rates at the cost of slight latency, mitigated by Nvidia Reflex. This feature is best used when base frame rates are already solid, ideally above 60fps.

AMD's RX 9070 XT also supports Frame Generation but only for one interpolated frame per rendered frame. The major leap forward for AMD is FSR 4, introducing AI upscaling to their GPUs for the first time. Unlike previous temporal upscaling methods, FSR 4 utilizes machine learning for sharper, more accurate upscaling, though it's not as fast as FSR 3. As this is AMD's first venture into AI upscaling, it has room to grow compared to Nvidia's more mature DLSS technology.

Winner: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

RTX 5070 Ti vs. RX 9070 XT: Price

Current GPU pricing remains a contentious issue, with new generation cards often sold out and prices inflated. Both Nvidia and AMD set suggested retail prices, but retailers and third-party manufacturers often set their own. While future price trends are unpredictable, a return to MSRP is hoped for as supply stabilizes.

At launch, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a standout at $599, offering robust 4K performance with FSR 4 AI upscaling. This pricing harks back to more reasonable launch prices before Nvidia's price hikes began with the RTX 2080 Ti. Hopefully, this signals a return to more affordable GPU pricing.

Meanwhile, the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti, despite similar performance to the RX 9070 XT, carries a base price of $749, a significant $150 more. This price difference makes the RX 9070 XT more attractive, especially considering the additional features like Multi-Frame Generation may not be necessary for most gamers.

Winner: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The Winner Is… the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

Both the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti excel for 1440p and 4K gaming, but the RX 9070 XT emerges as the better value. With comparable performance at a lower price, it's the clear choice as prices hopefully normalize.

For those building a high-end gaming PC targeting 1440p or venturing into 4K, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the top pick. It lacks multi-frame generation, but this feature is less relevant for most gamers without high-refresh 4K monitors.